wolf parade

At Mount Zoomer, the sophomore effort from Montreal giants Wolf Parade, is as schizophrenic and disheveled as its bizarre album cover. Torn into two separate works by the diverging interests of the group's lead songwriters, Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner, the album is sorely lacking the distinct identity that was readily apparent on the band's outstanding 2005 debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary.

Krug's songs, the best of Apologies, now sound like B-sides from his superb side-project, Sunset Rubdown. "Call It A Ritual" is a particularly weak showing, with a relatively bland piano line, poor specimens of his hit-or-miss lyrics and a distinct lack of energy. Later, Krug recycles Sunset Rubdown's "Stallion" into "Bang Your Drum," an improvement on "Call It a Ritual," but not on the aforementioned Rubdown effort. The only convincing Wolf Parade piece is "California Dreamer," which is easily his best work on the record.

Boeckner, on the other hand, fares far better, offering the superior songs of the album. "The Grey Estates" is excellent, squarely exhibiting the sense of urgency and frenetic edge that characterize his vocals and instrumentation. "Fine Young Cannibals" and "Language City" are also notable, displaying in Boeckner a marked maturation and development since Apologies.

However, At Mount Zoomer is unavoidably sunk by the fact that it sounds like the work of two unique bands. The only seemingly collaborative song, "Kissing the Beehive," is a wasted effort. The track's three segments would have held up well as individual pieces, but instead implode under the 11-minute running time. In the end, At Mount Zoomer leaves only the sense of Wolf Parade's identity crisis, devoid of a cohesive aesthetic or sound. One departs wondering whether Krug and Boeckner's continued partnership is only handicapping each artist's clearly abundant talent.